Mother Boxes are fictional devices in

Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...

's Fourth World setting in the

DC Universe The DC Universe (DCU) is the shared universe in which most stories in American comic book titles published by DC Comics take place. In context, the term "DC Universe" usually refers to the main DC Continuity (fiction), continuity. It contains v ...

. The Mother Boxes appeared in the feature films ''

Justice League The Justice League, or Justice League of America (JLA), is a group of superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The team first appeared in ''The Brave and the Bold'' #28 (March 1960). Writer Gardner Fox conceived the ...

'' and ''

Zack Snyder's Justice League ''Zack Snyder's Justice League'' (colloquially referred to as the ''Snyder Cut'') is the 2021 director's cut of the 2017 American superhero film ''Justice League'', the fifth film set within the DC Extended Universe (DCEU), which is based ...

'' of the

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History

Created by Apokoliptian scientist Himon using the mysterious Element X, they are generally thought to be sentient, miniaturized, portable supercomputers, although their true nature and origins are unknown. They possess various powers, including teleportation via Boom Tubes, energy manipulation, and healing. Despite their name, Mother Boxes are not always box-shaped. In

The New 52 The New 52 was the 2011 revamp and relaunch by DC Comics of its entire Line (comics), line of ongoing monthly superhero American comic books, comic books. Following the conclusion of the "Flashpoint (comics), Flashpoint" Fictional crossover, cros ...

continuity reboot,

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Apokolips use equivalents of Mother Boxes called Father Boxes.

Interpretation

In a 2008 article, John Hodgman observed: "

Mister Miracle Mister Miracle is the name of three fictional superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The first and third are humans Thaddeus Brown and Shilo Norman, while the second is New God Scott Free. The Scott Free incarnat ...

, a warrior of Apokolips who flees to Earth to become a 'super escape artist', keeps a 'Mother Box' up his sleeve — a small, living computer that can enable its user to do almost anything, so long as it is sufficiently loved. In Kirby's world, all machines are totems: weapons and strange vehicles fuse technology and magic, and the Mother Box in particular uncannily anticipates the gadget fetishism that infects our lives today. The

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is li ...

headset may well be a Kirby creation". Similarly, Mike Cecchini of ''

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'' described the Mother Box as "an alien smartphone that can do anything from heal the injured to teleport you across time and space", and Christian Holub in ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...

'' called it "basically a smartphone, as designed by gods". Mother Boxes have also been interpreted as a symbol of the "ideal mother" and an example of the role of motherhood in Kirby's Fourth World stories.

In other media

Television

* Mother Boxes appear in series set in the

DC Animated Universe The DC Animated Universe (DCAU, also referred to as the Timmverse or Diniverse by fans) is a Shared universe, shared fictional universe based on DC Comics properties and media franchise produced by Warner Bros. Animation. It began with ''Batman ...

(DCAU). * Mother Boxes and Father Boxes appear in '' Young Justice''. * Mother Boxes appear in '' Justice League Action''. * A Mother Box appears in '' DC Super Hero Girls: Super Hero High''. * A Mother Box appears in the ''

Harley Quinn Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Frances Quinzel, PhD) is a fictional American character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. She was created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm for ''Batman: The Animated Series'' as a henchwoman for the ...

'' episode "Inner (Para) Demons".

Film

DC Extended Universe

* In '' Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice'', a Mother Box appears briefly in footage that

Batman Batman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. Batman was created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on M ...

obtained from Lex Luthor. The Box is the final component that transforms Victor Stone into

Cyborg A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Steppenwolf and his Mother Boxes appear in a post-credits scene in the Ultimate Edition of the film. * In ''

'', Steppenwolf is in search of three Mother Boxes hidden away on Earth. Two are located in Themyscira and Atlantis, while the third is the one that had been seen in ''Batman v Superman''. Previously, Steppenwolf had used the Boxes in his original invasion of Earth, intending to use them to terraform the planet before being driven off. After the war, the boxes were left on Earth, and the

Amazons The Amazons (Ancient Greek: ', singular '; in Latin ', ') were a people in Greek mythology, portrayed in a number of ancient epic poems and legends, such as the Labours of Hercules, Labours of Heracles, the ''Argonautica'' and the ''Iliad''. ...

, Atlanteans, and humans each took custody of one of them. When all three boxes awaken after years of dormancy, Steppenwolf returns seeking to use them to finish what he had started. Eventually, after the Justice League defeat Steppenwolf, the first two boxes are each returned to their respective custodies, while Silas Stone begins researching the third box with his son. * ''

'' depicts the Mother Boxes generally the same as in the theatrical version. After a failed invasion of Earth by Darkseid thousands of years ago, the Mother Boxes are separated and hidden away as in the theatrical release. The Amazonian Mother Box "awakens" upon Superman's death at the end of ''Batman v Superman'', and alerts Steppenwolf to its location. He escapes with it after a short battle with the Amazonians and proceeds to search for the other two by capturing and interrogating Atlanteans and S.T.A.R. Labs scientists. Steppenwolf seizes the Atlantean Mother Box after a fight with

Aquaman Aquaman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Paul Norris and Mort Weisinger, the character debuted in ''More Fun Comics'' #73 (November 1941). Initially a backup feature in DC's anthology titles ...

and Mera. The protagonists resurrect Superman with the third Mother Box, and Steppenwolf is able to claim it after an amnesiac Superman attacks the other superheroes. The superheroes locate Steppenwolf's fortress in Russia thanks to Silas Stone's self-sacrifice which allows them to detect the third Mother Box's location. They launch an attack on the fortress so Cyborg can interface with the Boxes and prevent the Unity. After they fail and Earth is destroyed, the Flash travels back in time to enable Cyborg to successfully deactivate the Boxes, preventing the Unity and defeating Steppenwolf, who is subsequently killed through the combined efforts of Aquaman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. In the aftermath, DeSaad informs Darkseid that the Mother Boxes are now destroyed, forcing Darkseid to conquer Earth through military conquest. * In the

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release of ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superheroine who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character first appeared in ''All Star Comics'' Introducing Wonder Woman, #8, published October 21, 1941, with her first feature in ''Sensation Comic ...

'', the epilogue ''Etta's Mission'' is included as an additional detailing of the events that transpired after the events of the film's story. Etta Candy's titular mission involves her, Diana Prince, and

Steve Trevor General Steven Rockwell Trevor is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, commonly in association with the superhero Wonder Woman. The character was created by William Moulton Marston and first appeared in ' ...

retrieving one of the three Mother Boxes.

Animation

* Two Mother Boxes appear in '' Superman/Batman: Apocalypse''. * Numerous Mother Boxes appear in '' Justice League: War''. * A Mother Box appears in '' Reign of the Supermen'', where it is used by Lex Luthor.

Video games

* A Mother Box is central in the plot of '' Justice League Heroes'' as it is coveted by Brainiac and used as a way to transform Earth into a "New Apokolips" by Darkseid. * In '' Injustice 2'', Mother Boxes serve as the game's loot box rewards system, offering differing rewards depending on the rarity. Additionally, Cyborg utilizes Mother Boxes in gameplay to create drones that can target the opponent from multiple directions. * In '' Lego DC Super-Villains'', a Mother Box is stolen from Wayne Tech and owned by

, who names it "Boxy". It is also revealed that the Mother Box contains a fragment of the Anti-Life Equation, which is absorbed by the player character, the Rookie.

References

{{Jack Kirby Fictional computers Fictional elements introduced in 1971 Fourth World (comics)